Recapping HR Days 2023: Insights, Inspiration, and HR Excellence in Rovinj

One of the most magical cities in Croatia, Rovinj, once again became a gathering point for the regional HR community.  

The reason? 

11. HR Days conference, of course!

The largest HR conference in our region, organized by Alma Career’s leading Croatian job board MojPosao, brings together more than 600 people from all corners of the Balkan region. Over the past decade, the conference has become a 'must-attend' event for numerous passionate HR professionals, leaders, distinguished speakers, educators, and experts in search of unforgettable experiences, knowledge exchange, and a great time.

This year’s edition of the conference rounded off three wonderful days, from 19th till 21st of September, and offered interesting lectures by top-of-the-notch HR experts, interactive and useful workshops, roundtable discussions on current topics, and so much more.

Together we explored a range of current topics and trends shaping the HR industry, including a strategic approach to human resource management, employee experience, the omnipresent generational gap, and the impact of artificial intelligence on our businesses.

Nataša Pučar, head of sales at MojPosao, opened the conference with a warm greeting and a big thank you to all of our loyal and new participants. Also, she gave an insight into Alma Career as a brand and as a group that is a leader in employment in Southeast Europe, the Baltics, the Balkans, and Finland, of which MojPosao is a proud member.

“We hereby open another new chapter on our joint journey in creating solutions for a better world of employment. With the knowledge we have and thanks to access to more markets and wider reach, modern technologies, and innovations we have as part of the Alma Career family we are sure that we will continue to be your best partner on the way to finding and hiring the right candidates.”, said Nataša Pučar and added: “Although we operate globally, our hearts are still local, which means that all information about our work and solutions in Croatia can be found at our local pages on LinkedIn and Facebook under Alma Career Croatia, so feel free to follow us there”.

After Nataša’s warm greeting, we continued our conference with the first keynote speaker, Oliver Madill who tried to challenge us with a constant of change. 

To keep pace with the frequent changes in the job market, we need tools that we will tailor to our own needs and our company's. These are the words that a recognized leader in agile HR, Natal Dank, tried to convey to us through her presentation titled "Delivering Impact Through Your HR Strategy."

“The energy you offer is the energy you’ll receive” - was the main message of the short and inspiring talk by Belgian keynote speaker Marnick Vandebroek. He emphasized the importance of building content and turning your goals and themes into stories rather than focusing solely on numbers.

After warming up, boosting morale, and gaining confidence, it was time to dive into data. In a panel discussion, Vanda Lugarov, HR manager at MojPosao, Lara Šubić Šuša, project manager at Poslodavac Partner SELECTIO Group, and Ivana Šarić Nađ, employee Experience and Employer Branding Expert at Hrvatski Telekom, explained the significance of numbers in crafting action plans and employer branding activities.

“Employer branding starts from within, and the right direction, no matter how much we may want to admit it or not, can only be provided by numbers. Conducting market research - both internal and external - is advisable to be done every year so that we can make the right decisions based on the results obtained", said Vanda Lugarov.

Change, change, change - that's what defined the first day of the conference. Nigel Jeremy concluded the day's lectures by guiding us through the changes in the labor market. Different generations are what Nigel emphasized the most. Diversity among people is what makes this world interesting, but aligning the needs of all is a challenge that HR professionals encounter more than ever today.

And the differences in generations were the main topic of our second, and final day of 11. HR Days conference. Who are the Gen Z, and how can we understand them? We can all agree that the role of Generation Z is becoming increasingly significant. Shaped in the era of rapid technological evolution and global social changes, this generation brings its unique perspectives, preferences, and workplace needs.

Whether the specifics of this generation mentioned so far are myths or reality, how can companies react to expectations of members of this completely digital generation and what advantages we should all try to adopt, was discussed by our panelists: psychologist Maja Vučić, Tik Tok mentor Dario Marčac, People & Communication Manager at Netgen company Mateja Terek and People Analytics Specialist at A1 company Andrija Vrhovnik.

Arrogant, dissatisfied, demanding, open, and prone to quitting based on feelings – this is how employers often perceive members of Generation Z.

 "I only partially agree with this assessment. Indeed, some members of Generation Z possess these characteristics, but we can learn a lot from them" emphasized Maja Vučić.

We must avoid generalizations, regardless of which group of workers we're discussing, as Dario Marčac, TikTok mentor at Crew Media and a member of Generation Z himself, advises.

"Just like among older generations, there are wonderful, hardworking, and flexible people among Generation Z, as well as those with whom working might be more challenging. Also, I believe that respect can be earned if we have a track record of our high-quality work and professionalism," Marčac said.

Younger workers desire a democratic business world and the right to have a say in it, explained Mateja Terek from Netgen. However, in their efforts to prove their worth, they sometimes disregard politeness. 

When we talk about Generation Z, we often hear the phrase that this generation is 'coming' to the job market, but Andrija Vrhovnik from A1 believes that such thinking has been outdated for some time.

“They've been here for a while, and they are crucial players in the job market. They expect the companies to invest in them, they are technologically skilled, impatient, and they are in constant search of mentorship and new knowledge ", Vrhovnik asserted.

Every year we close our HR Days conference with our “Oscars” for best HR practices. This renowned recognition, given by MojPosao since 2010, was expanded last year to include practices from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Slovenia, in addition to Croatian practices. 

This year's winner was Bruketa&Žinić&Grey for the project “Biž&Bob”. The second place went to NIL d.o.o. for the project “RESET: Why focus on people & culture pays off”, while the third place was awarded to ATLANTIC GRUPA for the project “Value Day 2022”.

With this, we concluded the eleventh edition of the HR Days conference. The next gathering, after several years of meeting in late summer, is scheduled for spring, on May 8th and 9th! 

See you soon!